Nick'sJournal

Cynical was I when I became aware of the passing years...
It clocked me that father time was nothing more than a villain and a thief.
Stealing everything precious and dear to me.
Until clarity struck and I realized him nothing more than trickster,
A scamp meticulously spreading his riddle.
The contradiction. The irony.
A conspiracy of the gods.

Always giving before he takes.
Every moment he doles being precious and rare weather a minute,
A second or an hour is adding to the collective years we endure;
Existence is a treasured gift he calls the present.
How liberating that moment was...
The clarity crystallized as I clearly understood that the only things worth doing are the things we do for others.

Relish in his treasure while it lasts for the wonder it creates;
What we spend together is all that matters.
Time is many things, but he is not money nor power and especially not our enemy, a villain, or thief.
Just the string connecting the series of precious moments into a continuity known as our life.

Spend generously your gift of life on the ones you hold dear.
For the only way to beat this riddler is by doing deeds, which be worthy of the ones we cherish...

"Puff"

For my second tattoo, I was ready to go a little bigger... So of course I was ready to cover my right arm! I'd already gotten my Superman, something very dear to my heart, but I needed Puff.

Let me explain. Puff is a dragon; however, he's was not just any dragon. I had found him long before choosing to immortalize him. He drew me in; the curvatures of his body, the intensity of his figure, and the provocation of childhood memories - Puff the Magic Dragon being one of my favorite stories. Yet as striking as he already was he wasn't yet mine.

I brought the original rendering to my artist at Defiant Tattoo & Caffeine Bar, where she added subtle details that alluded to my life and experiences. It was perfect! Puff was ready for my arm, and I had thought I was ready for him...

In the tattooing industry, the inside of one's elbow is known as "The Ditch." It is often described as one of the most sensitive areas of the body to get tattooed. I, however, did not know this prior to adding Puff. Although the tip of his tail was all that extended into "The Ditch," it was a pain I'd not expected to endure. "The Ditch" really was a BITCH! And it did not end with the completion of the tattoo either, throughout the healing process it continued to crack and split. It was brutal.

After having obsessed over the original artwork for over two years, it is ironic that it was my second tattoo and not the first; however, Puff required needed more time to develop. As difficult as it was, he was well worth the pain and anguish required for his fruition. He is truly one of a kind!

As many of you probably already know from following my twitter account @NickYoungXXX I have been living in Budapest (pronounced Boo Dah Pesht; NOT BU-DA-pest) Hungary for the past 2 years. Here is the South West facing view from my place on Vigadó tér! Vigadó tér means litterally Vigadó Square. It is some guys name I think, it has been a while since I looked it up. It is a very popular square because it is immediately in front of the national music and preformaning arts center situated facing east towards the lovely Duna (Danube) River and on the other bank are the cliffs upon which the Citadel & Freedom Statue are seated perched looking over the entire city. Here is a photo of hte Music Center

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Budapest is a "Square City" it was built loooooong before the car so there are squares & parks situated throughout the city encircled by buildings. This naturaly lends to a very social culture with lots of festivals. I think Budapest should be coined the Magical City of Festivals. One thing is for sure Hungarians may almost never smile, until that is you, you give them some Palinka at one of thier many amazing festivals. Then they are some of the most party it up people on the planet.

Practically every weekend there is some festival in one of the squres from ice cream to hamburgers to beer even turkey week, the big one is Margit Sziget Festival. It takes place on Margit's Island in the heart of Budapest. It is an amazing week of fun and parties for several days during the lovely month of August. Spring and Summer are really such an amazing time here in Hungary, I think that is the best time if you are planning a visit. Winter is kind of gross, and fall is unpredictable weather, but the color change is amazing if you are into that. Winter and Fall do not stop the festivals either; they simply change the beverage of choice to a warm wine or mulled cider in the colder months. :)

Living in Europ has been a lot of fun, a lot of learning and many surprises. The first thing I will say about living in a foriegn country is that you have to let go of any American expectations immediately. This is hard to do because as Americans we have grown to expect a certain level of service, availability of products & services, and daily conveniences we cannot imagine life without. The nice thing about Europe is you are so close to so many great cities and nations that nearly every weekend you can find a new adventure be it a short flight away or simply wandering the streets of Hungary. There are many challengest too, for example can you believe there is a place on the planet where Amazon does not deliver, much less have Prime where you can get your shit in 24 hours even on Sundays?!?!?!? NetFlix does not exist, excpet by proxy and VPN, so it is a bit costly still managed to pull it off. I won't even get into the corruption here because indeed my VISA is up for renewal and I don't want problems. ;) I have decided to write a few articles dedicated to my time and travels in Budapest and Europe. Below is a sample of images from the city I love and sometimes get annoyed by once in a while, Budapest. Enjoy!

I wanted to post some pictures of my time in Budapest so far, enjoy!

above are pictures of my view frome my apartment looking towards the Erzibet Bridge and the Freedom Statue. So lovely at nighttime.

Constition Day Fire Works from my apartment! Gawd, I miss Independence Day in America; they can really put on a fireworks display.

Above and below, people Gathering for some protest against the government asking all the poor forieners to leave and not take Hungarian jobs. LOL Um, Expats create a lot of jobs and add to your economy HU! Think it through.

Istvan's Cathederal. They actually have an old dead hand from thier previous ruler on display. You can pay to shine a light on it for a better look. CREEPY!!!

Superman

Your first tattoo is a very special thing. The emotions that run through your body as you take walk through those doors are something you shall never forget. It has been nearly a year since I got my first tattoo and I can still recall each and every moment.

I had returned home for my first tattoo. The location, Defiant Tattoo & Caffeine Bar, had come highly recommended and the art I'd seen being produced by the shop was top notch. For my first, I chose something relatively simple - Superman. I'd long wanted to immortalize the man of steel onto my body, but I didn't want to Clark Kent to be on my body. I needed something uniquely, Nick Young. My dear friend, Aaron, had helped me decide upon a mechanical rendering of the classic Superman logo. One which combined metallics and rivets to the standard "S."

I entered the shop and prepared myself for the worst; however, once my artist, Holly, had began I was relieved. I found the pain to be somewhat soothing. I lost myself in the process, and when she had finally finished I awoke more than just Nick Young. I had become the Man of Steel and thus began my journey.

In just a matter of weeks, Hawaii and Illinois shall become the 15th and 16th states to extend marriage rights to same sex couples! This means that whether you've dreamt to get married on the beaches of Waikiki or at the top of the Willis tower, your dreams can now be fulfilled. With over 30% of the US now supporting gay marriage, it makes one think, which will be the 17th state to legalize gay marriage? Or shall it be a federal law to come? Till then we shall not know, but for now let us celebrate numbers 15 and 16!